The Lexus UX stuffs more luxury and tech into a smaller package

The Lexus UX with Chika Kako, executive vice-president of Lexus International and the vehicle's chief engineer.

Jil McIntosh, Driving

Sharing next to nothing with its platform sibling, the Toyota C-HR, the 2019 UX is ready to take aim at cute-utes from BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz

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Jil McIntosh | March 7, 2018

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GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Nothing is bigger than small these days. Compact crossovers are a top-selling segment, and Lexus joins in by unveiling its all-new UX at the Geneva Motor Show.

Canadians have long been used to “buying by the pound,” expecting a larger vehicle as the price goes up. But now we’re thinking more like Europeans, willing to buy much smaller vehicles that pack in as much luxury and technology as their bigger siblings. This is the sweet spot where the UX is aimed. It slots under the NX, currently the smallest Lexus sport-ute.

It’ll be available in both a conventional gasoline version, and as a hybrid, when it goes on sale in Canada later this year or early next.

The new Lexus UX is unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show.

It was created under the supervision of chief engineer Chika Kako, the first woman in Lexus in such a top position (earlier this year, she was also named the executive vice-president of Lexus International). “The challenge in making a smaller vehicle is the packaging,” Kako says. “We have to place all the elements so they’re easy to see and use, but it’s also important for it to look clean, even if there are many functions. We try to link the inside and outside, and it’s inspired by traditional Japanese architecture in homes, where it’s open and linked to nature.”

The UX is the first Lexus to use a new platform that also underpins the Toyota CH-R, but Kako says it’s the only thing they have in common. “We began the design in 2015, and it was always separate from the CH-R,” she says. “It was the first C-segment crossover for Lexus.”

Half of the chassis components are unique to the Lexus version, and the suspension is tuned differently. The UX also contains substantially more aluminum – including in its door panels, hood, and fenders – along with composite material in the liftgate. It has a lower centre-of-gravity than the Toyota.

It also has a lower hip point, which is how high the seat is from the floor. “It’s 55 millimetres lower than in the CH-R, and this feels sportier,” Kako says. But it’s also designed for visibility, even with the lower seating position: Kako isn’t all that tall, and she wasn’t about to settle for craning her neck to see out the windows. The lower seating position also makes it easier to get in and out, and provides more headroom.

The Lexus UX’s interior.

The UX 200 is exclusively front-wheel drive and uses a new, naturally-aspirated 2.0-litre gasoline engine, and the lack of a turbo was a conscious decision. “We looked at 1.5-litre turbo competitors, but we felt ours was an optimum package,” Kako says, adding that it’s all about the power output and fuel efficiency level. The engine is common to both Toyota and Lexus but is tuned specifically in the UX to account for the vehicle’s weight, and the desired driving feel.

The gas engine is mated to a new, direct-shift CVT that makes its debut on this model. The unusual unit uses a gear drive to initially get the vehicle moving, as a conventional transmission does. After that, it switches to belt-driven, continually-variable operation. The company says this provides better acceleration from a stop, without the sluggishness that CVTs can sometimes have, and with more efficient operation once the vehicle is moving.

The platform is capable of plug-in hybrid or full battery technology, as well as an all-wheel system with the gasoline engine, but there’s no word on when, or if, we’ll see any of these.

The new Lexus UX is unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show.

The UX bears more than a passing resemblance to the next-up NX, with Lexus’ signature “spindle” grille, although it’s not quite as wide here, and that’s a good thing. But the interior design takes a sharp departure from the NX’s flat panels and stacked centre console, in line with Kako’s philosophy of less-is-more. Still, it does include the Remote Touch interface, a rather clunky controller system for the infotainment functions, which Kako initially helped to develop for the RX.

In our market, Lexus primarily takes aim at its German “G-3” of Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi, according to Jennifer Barron, director of Lexus in Canada. That’ll put the UX up against models like the Mercedes-Benz GLA, BMW X1 and Audi’s Q3, all of which are marginally smaller than this littlest Lexus. It’ll also go after cute-utes like Volvo’s new XC40, or Infiniti’s QX30.

The UX is a global model and will be introduced in 80 countries worldwide. Canadian pricing will be announced closer to its launch.